Jalsaghar (1958)

One of Satyajit Ray's most exquisite films, Jalsaghar (The Music Room) organically integrates song and dance into an arthouse film. The story centres on the decline of an aristocrat and patron of classical music. Chhabi Biswas puts in an unforgettable performance as Biswambhar Roy, an arts patron who refuses to be trumped by arrivistes. The film features music composed by Ustad Vilayat Khan and sung by the legendary Begum Akhtar, with Roshan Kumari's kathak dance. The film also boasts atmospheric cinematography, and is a fitting and elegant elegy to its protagonist, the connoisseur.